The risks of remote, and other tech stories you may have missed

The risks of remote work, the top SaaS providers, the best password managers and seven other developments that happened in technology this past month and how they’ll impact your clients and your firm.

1. Remote work causes breaches at two-thirds of orgs

Businesses continue to face the security challenges that remote work presents. Data from a 2023 Fortinet studydemonstrates that organizations are more vulnerable when supporting a work-at-home model. Of the companies surveyed, 62% reported a data breach as a “partial” result of staff working from home. “Lack of cybersecurity training” was one of the contributors cited. Identity access management — technology that helps organizations employ sophisticated protocols — was another item that has been hampered by remote work. Though companies have invested time and money to avert major breaches, they’re challenged to minimize that risk when supporting a remote or hybrid environment. (Source: VentureBeat)

Why this is important for your firm and your clients: As malware attacks increase, it’s critical that businesses hire IT firms to provide training, added security software and regularly monitoring of home workers’ routers and device setups to maximize security. Taking more aggressive measures such as multifactor authentication is one of the solutions experts also recommend. This is an investment you need to make this year.

2. The most popular SaaS providers for small biz

Business banking platform Novo has released its list of the 10 most used software-as-a-service providers. Taken from a sample of 70,000 small business and self-employed customers, the end result indicates these 10 SaaS providers serve an essential need. (Source: Novo)

Why this is important for your firm and your clients: No surprises here. Top of the list is Intuit, the provider of QuickBooks. Website builder Wix is the tenth most popular. Adobe and Google’s GSuite were Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. I’m betting you and your clients use half of these.

3. The top 5 best password managers

Tech Times has listed the five best password managers — software programs that store encrypted lists of passwords only verified users can access. The first is LastPass, known for their sophisticated cloud technology. The most widely used on the list is Sticky Password. All five have something to offer with free 30-day trials. (Source: Tech Times)

Why this is important for your firm and your clients: Every business — and every individual — should be using a password manager. The biggest benefit is you can use complex passwords on important sites like banking and ecommerce platforms and then save and retrieve them from the password manager. Good managers will also evaluate the effectiveness of your passwords.

4. OpenAI releases GPT-4

OpenAI, the maker of the enormously popular conversational artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, released GPT-4, an API that upgrades the underlying technology behind ChatGPT. Users of ChatGPT can access this new technology through their paid membership. There’s a waiting list though. (Source: TechCrunch)

Why this is important for your firm and your clients:

(Read the full column in Accounting Today)

Accounting Today Intuit Wix Adobe Google LastPass Sticky Password OpenAI Microsoft Lenovo IKEA